The NHS “is there to improve our health and wellbeing, supporting us to keep mentally and physically well, to get better when we are ill and, when we cannot fully recover, to stay as well as we can to the end of our lives” (NHS Constitution for England).

Such a powerful statement and coupled with the seven key principles, which guide the NHS in all that it does, it’s hard to acknowledge health inequalities exist, but they do, and the statistics are alarming.

Health inequalities have existed for decades, I remember being asked by a teacher to think about the lyrics of Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins, and to discuss what the song was about. Back then I’m not sure I fully understood, but today, I know it is about inequality. If you listen to it, you’ll realise the lyrics are hard-hitting and in reality, it highlights the gap between the most deprived and the least deprived, with the chorus urging ‘Oh think twice, it’s another day for you and me in paradise, Oh think twice, ‘cause it’s just another day for you, you and me in paradise, think about it’.

Health inequalities are influenced by multiple socio-economic factors as well as individuals’ behaviours; the stark reality being that life expectancy across England varies by approximately a decade. External influencing factors have such an impact on individuals and communities that it hampers their individual and collective efforts to not only access care but also on the care delivered and, the potential to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Health inequalities are about the differences in the status of individuals’ health but can also be used to describe the differences in the level of care received and the ability to access care. Add to the mix behavioural risk and social determinants of health (SDH) and there is a lot to consider, including another three-letter abbreviation to remember!

We shouldn’t walk on and not look back; we should be thinking what can we do to help? One of the first things to be done is to learn about health inequalities and use some of the available resources to identify health inequalities amongst your patient communities and work out how best you can help remove the barriers that lead to health inequalities.

So, what can be done to help your team understand health inequalities? Well, you can get them to complete the Understanding Health Inequalities course, available as part of Practice Index Learning, accessible on the HUB.

This short course is informative, engaging and interactive, providing learners with an overview of health inequalities, the causes of health inequalities and how the barriers that cause health inequalities can be overcome.

Remember one of the core NHS values is to improve lives. Addressing health inequalities is one way this value can be delivered. Furthermore, CQC will expect to see that your organisation is responsive to the needs of the population groups too. See CQC GP mythbuster 90: Population Groups which explains that you will need to be able to provide evidence as to how your practice meets the needs of the specific population groups.

If now is the time to ‘level up’ healthcare and reduce inequalities, there’s a lot to be done not only at neighbourhood, place and system level, but also nationally. Partnerships need to be formed, strategies need to be introduced and resources provided to meet patient needs.